Developer bought 83 acres near Yosemite for $4m; US weighs land swap for road

A Nevada developer is seeking a land exchange that could allow for the construction of a private road through Yosemite National Park, granting access to an 83-acre property located just outside the park's boundaries. The Trump administration is evaluating the proposal, according to KQED. The property, known as Hazel Green Ranch, was purchased for $4 million in 2024 by Kingsbarn Realty Capital, a limited-liability company based in Nevada.

The developer, Jeff Pori, intends to construct a short road connecting the property to an existing road inside Yosemite. This proposed route would traverse a roughly quarter-mile strip of land managed by the National Park Service. In return, the Park Service would receive an equivalent parcel of land elsewhere in California. This plan has reignited a decades-long dispute over the issue.

A previous owner of the property had attempted to build a private road through Yosemite, but their request was denied by the Park Service. A court later ruled against the owner as well. The new developer asserts that the proposed road would provide residents of the property with direct access to Yosemite Valley, significantly reducing the time needed for the current circuitous route.

The National Park Service is currently assessing whether a land exchange under federal law is possible. This would require determining the value of the Yosemite land and identifying comparable property in California. Federal land exchanges are not uncommon, but this situation is unique due to the Park Service's potential to cede park land for private access.

The value of Yosemite land is currently being appraised, a process complicated by the fact that evaluating a piece of Yosemite is not straightforward, particularly when the access could substantially increase the value of the private property. The previous attempt by developer Lewis Geyser, who owned Hazel Green Ranch, faced similar challenges in the early 2000s and was ultimately rejected by the Park Service.

Geyser tried to develop the property as a resort and sued the federal government in 2007, losing both in district court and on appeal in 2012. The courts ruled that Geyser did not have the legal right to a private road through Yosemite. Although the government is obligated to provide an exit for private property completely surrounded by federal land, courts found that it was not obligated to create a new road when an existing route was available.

The current developer, Kingsbarn, purchased the property in 2024 and is now seeking to reopen the issue with the Interior Department. Former Yosemite Superintendents Cicely Muldoon and Don Neubacher have criticized the proposal, stating that it is not legally permissible under the law. Neubacher emphasized that there was no legal right to access Yosemite National Park in this case.

The Interior Department has denied any political pressure on the proposal, stating that any land exchange or access proposal would have to adhere to federal laws and regulations, including environmental review and public notification requirements. Conservation groups and Yosemite employees have strongly opposed the plan, arguing that it threatens the public ownership of Yosemite.